« November 2008 | Main | January 2009 »
AdFreak falls into holiday publishing stupor
We're going to take a break this week to enjoy the holiday and recharge for 2009. A big thanks for reading this year. We really appreciate it. |
|
Published on December 26, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (2)
|
THE FREAKIEST AD OF 2008: Saatchi's comic, gory spot for 'Evil Dead the Musical'
In the end, it wasn't even close. This gory/comic spot for Evil Dead the Musical, by Saatchi & Saatchi in Toronto, has bloodily sauntered off with the title of AdFreak's Freakiest Ad of 2008, after collecting 49 percent of the vote in the four-way final. Converse's KissingWithRoss.com came in second, with 22 percent. The Dutch Socialist Party and Doritos rounded out the top four, with 18 percent and 11 percent, respectively. The Evil Dead spot is a worthy successor to the Dexter viral that won our contest last year. So, congrats to Saatchi. To see all of this year's 32 freaky finalists, click here. |
|
Published on December 24, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (1)
|
The year's most-liked retail holiday TV spots
AdFreak's parent The Nielsen Company (I asked for a tricycle and an iPhone, just in case they forgot) has gauged the "likeability" of this year's holiday retail TV commercials and come up with a top 10 list. Narratives, nostalgia and family-focused story lines are hot. Sales and price-driven messages, as well as shorter commercials, are faring poorly. Wal-Mart rules overall (doesn't it always?) with the ad above, showing employees turning register lights on and off to the tune of a Christmas song. (Wal-Mart employees are actually robots, and those lights indicate that customer credit cards have been declined. At least, that's been my Wal-Mart Christmas experience.) Placing 10th is a Victoria's Secret spot showing, according to Nielsen, "models wandering through a mansion in brass and ruffled skirts." Um, is it too late to change my list? —Posted by David Gianatasio |
|
Published on December 24, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (2)
|
Wal-Mart and Coke throw giant holiday party
Here's that co-branded Wal-Mart/Coca-Cola ad from The Martin Agency starring John Magaro as the host of a holiday party that everyone (and his mother, and his "surprisingly cool" stepmother) has crashed. He strolls around handing out Cokes from a Wal-Mart bag—no eggnog here, not even rum to mix with the Coke. The guest list also includes "my judo coach, my allergist, my MySpace friends and Twitter list." No room for the Facebook crowd, evidently. You can download the MP3 of the song, and even the sheet music, at this Web site. "When you stock up on joy, there's enough to go round," Magaro sings at the end, in a very Coke-y refrain. I saw this spot last night in an actual Wal-Mart, on a dozen-plus TVs, and it almost managed to cut through the atmosphere of loathing and desperation. What more could you ask of a Christmas commercial? |
|
Published on December 24, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (2)
|
Hodgman fans flesh out his mole-man army
In a season rich with religious celebration, it's good to know someone is honoring AdFreak's patron saint, John Hodgman. While best known for his "I'm a PC" acting work, Hodgman's talents are truly on display in his writing, most notably his 2005 book The Areas of My Expertise. Now, his follow-up tome, More Information Than You Require, has sparked an ambitious fan effort known as the 700 Mole-Men Project. Artists around the world are challenged to illustrate each of the 700 mole-men whose names are listed in Hodgman's new book. The endeavor is a natural evolution of the 700 Hoboes Project, which helped visualize Hodgman's bizarre appendix in The Areas of My Expertise. So, if you've got some artistic skill and a desire to stake your claim in the pantheon of history's greatest mole-men, post your creation on Flickr and add it to the 700 Mole-Men Group. Oh, and consider buying Hodgman's book. It offers advice on such weighty topics as "how to cook owls" and "how to be a famous minor television celebrity." The man speaks from experience. I hear his braised owl is to die for. |
|
Published on December 23, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
'Tis the season for those weird bowl names
With the college-football bowl season getting into full swing, we're entering the time of year when corporate sponsorship yields some of its oddest names. Some are odd in a merely clunky way—for instance, the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. Some are vaguely slapstick, like the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Others sound cheesy, like the AutoZone Liberty Bowl—or, in the case of the Papajohns.com Bowl, extra-cheesy. Then there are the puzzling ones, like the Insight Bowl, which will pit Kansas against Minnesota at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. (Rather pathetically, it shares a Web site with the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl—which, of course, makes one think of a Fiestaware bowl into which a bag of Tostitos chips has been poured.) The Insight Bowl sounds as though it ought to be something like the old GE College Bowl quiz show, with students from different schools competing to see who can make the most apposite remarks on the issues of the day. Still, even the Insight Bowl's moniker (which comes from a technology vendor that modestly goes by the name of Insight) can't match the sheer weirdness of the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl, which pairs "Humanitarian" with the name of a chain of truck stops. One pities the poor archaeologist who, some millennium in the future, unearths a football with this bowl game's name stamped on it and has to try to figure out what it could possibly mean. —Posted by Mark Dolliver |
|
Published on December 23, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
Giving to a food bank is always fashionableLeo Burnett did this decent pro-bono campaign for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, featuring photos of models lounging around sensuously with various grub. The theme is, "Food shouldn't feel like a luxury." The TV commercial below is perfectly ludicrous, and refreshingly comical for the PSA sector. It's easy to donate to the food bank as well: Just text MEALS to 90999 to give $5. The ads are running on CTA trains and buses and other outdoor spaces through New Year's Eve. |
|
Published on December 23, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (3)
|
Billy Mays wants to sell you some ESPN360Arnold today launches a pleasingly goofy campaign for ESPN360.com starring Billy Mays, the bearded infomercial guy usually seen shilling for OxiClean. See all four ads here. This genre's been parodied to death, but the ESPN spots score by being even dumber than we've come to expect. They're almost parodies of parodies, so unrelentingly stupid that they're amazingly effective. Mays is no different here than in any of his other ad gigs as he shouts exuberantly about the ESPN360 service, which lets you to watch your favorite teams online, "anywhere, anytime!" The "secret," Mays confides, is the Internet connection. In the ad below, his wife and daughter are seen with thick black beards just like his. Nice! Their grins and gestures seem forced, and their line deliveries are as insincerely sincere as possible. Now that's great bad acting! Also noteworthy is the dead-eyed office drone who robotically explains that with ESPN360, "My job is way less soul-crushing." Hey, we need ESPN360 at AdFreak! Ow, my aching soul! |
|
Published on December 23, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (2)
|
THE FREAKIEST ADS OF 2008, FINAL 4Thirty-two ads, one dream: to be named AdFreak's Freakiest Ad of 2008. After four votes last week, we've narrowed the field to the Final Four contenders, posted below: Evil Dead the Musical, Doritos, Converse and the Dutch Socialist Party. Vote at the bottom of this post for the freakiest of the four. We'll declare a winner on Wednesday afternoon. —Posted by Tim Nudd Evil Dead the Musical | "Marquee" This promo encouraged viewers to attend the musical, but maybe not linger beneath the marquee. [Read more] Doritos | "Tongue" A wayward spicy tongue ruined a young couple's date in this Doritos commercial. [Read more] Converse | KissingWithRoss.com Ross taught many a lonely Web surfer how to kiss, with gusto, on his very own Converse-branded Web site. [Read more] Dutch Socialist Party | "Connie" (NSFW) What's that? You want to see a nude 86-year-old woman criticizing Holland's homecare policy? OK, you got it. (Spot is NSFW.) [Read more] |
|
Published on December 22, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (1)
|
Mr. Lincoln still gets no commercial respect
Having appeared with an amphibious rodent on behalf of a sleep medication (Rozerem), as an unsuccessful stovepipe-hat-toting job applicant (College Level Exam Program, circa early '70s) and in innumerable tawdry tie-ins for annual Presidents Day sales, what latest commercial humiliation must our noble 16th president suffer? Have no fear, Regis and Kelly have the answer. In a new spot from Tierney Communications, TD Bank features Abraham Lincoln fretting over pennies and ultimately walking off the set while the extremely unhelpful ad duo look on. Have Reeg and K.R. been advised that in 2009 the U.S. government will celebrate the 200th birthday of the Great Emancipator with, yes, newly minted 1-cent pieces? Has the Toronto-based financial company forgotten that it was Lincoln who brokered an unlikely peace between America and Canada in 1861 (during the Trent Affair). Note to President-Elect Obama: Ad injury to your Honest Illinois forebear has been duly noted. |
|
Published on December 22, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (1)
|
Combustible pets rely on Pedigree digestive
Anyone who's been a dog owner can relate to this Pedigree campaign by TBWA Paris. See all three ads here. "Beware of the dog" signs are permuted to reflect all-too-common canine terrors like bad breath, diarrhea and obesity—problems that can be fixed with Pedigree dental, digestive and diet formulas. The headline in the ad above might seem like hyperbole. But as I recall the sorry state of my parents' kitchen after their fox terrier ate something she shouldn't have, like a banana cream pie or a pair of socks, I can personally confirm that it isn't. In fact, these signs could be most effective for deterring intruders. The work almost makes a person want to buy a cat. If Fido's offended, well, life is ruff. Via Ads of the World. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
|
Published on December 22, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
Men are simple creatures. And proud of it.
After being lectured at length by JC Penney's "Beware of the Doghouse" video, we men could use a bit of empowerment these days. Stepping forward to remind us of our simple blessings is Goldstar, an Israeli beer that uses the tagline, "Thank God you're a man." Comparing the sexes in the areas of romance, wardrobe and urination, these flow charts were created by McCann Erickson Tel Aviv and posted over pub urinals. It's no toilet soccer, but it's still pretty sharp. —Posted by David Griner |
|
Published on December 19, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (3)
|
THE FREAKIEST ADS OF 2008, GROUP #4Our Freakiest Ad of 2008 contest continues today with the last spot in the Final Four up for grabs. Check out the eight ads below, and vote for the freakiest one at the bottom of the post. The top vote-getter joins the Evil Dead headless dude, the Doritos spicy tongue and Ross the lippy Converse kisser in the Final Four. See all 32 finalists here, in alphabetical order. —Posted by Tim Nudd Canex | "Yorkie" This gross print campaign made you wonder if you're actually feeding your dog—or the worms inside him. [Read more] Old Spice | "Centaur" The too-often-marginalized man-horse hybrid got a chance to shine in this Old Spice spot. [Read more] Dutch Socialist Party | "Connie" What's that? You want to see a nude 86-year-old woman criticizing Holland's homecare policy? OK, you got it. [Read more] Danish Cancer Society | "Bear Trap" A trip to the tanning booth did not end well for this young woman. [Read more] Barbecues Galore | "Chicken" What can you say to your chicken dinner when he asks you to hook him up with a girl just as you're marinating him? [Read more] Burger King | "Morning Tongue" After dreaming of hash browns filled with cheese, the hero of this BK spot woke up with a nasty case of "morning tongue." [Read more] Jack in the Box | "Make a Jack Sandwich" This Web site urged you to upload photos of yourself and a special friend, so all three of you could sleaze out in the hot tub. [Read more] Jokk | "The Trap" Hunting for berries to make Sweden's Jokk juices is extremely dangerous, but worth it. [Read more] |
|
Published on December 19, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (1)
|
Cities made of beer only good in moderation
"For a fresher world" is the (unintentionally) ironic tagline of this Heineken campaign from Publicis Conseil in France, which transforms world-class cities using beer bottles, cans and cases to represent skylines and landmarks. See all three ads here. The decision to replace the Rio statue of Christ with a giant corkscrew seems straight out of some post-punk art exhibition, the kind the Catholic Church is always quick to protest. Atheists can take offense at the Statue of Liberty receiving similar treatment. Worst of all is the eerie hue—I think it's supposed to be Heineken-bottle green, but it just makes me think of urine. The enterprise suggests not freshness but the kind of unhealthy, beer-fueled visions you might see after chugging one too many. Via Ads of the World. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
|
Published on December 19, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
EA caught using Xbox gameplay in Wii spot
An Electronic Arts commercial for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 has been banned in the U.K. in its current form for using Xbox 360 footage to promote the Wii version of the game. In the ad, Tiger is seen swinging a Wiimote, and the whole ad is overset with the Wii logo, but the graphics are Xbox. In its defense, EA said the Wii footage was not "of broadcast quality." Aside from a few nice Xbox shadows, the difference isn't that dramatic in the comparison above (larger version of the image here); it's certainly not as drastic as this tongue-in-cheek depiction. Even if it were, EA's solution is baffling. C'mon guys, video-game ads have been getting around showing real gameplay through good old-fashioned creativity since the Atari. You intercut small amounts of game footage into bigger amounts of non-game footage to create an amusing movie, an elaborate musical theater production, or even a full-length trailer in beautiful HD animation. Stealing another man's graphics? That's like claiming Tiger Woods can walk on water or something. It's just plain sacrilegious. Via Offworld. —Posted by Rebecca Cullers |
|
Published on December 18, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (6)
|
THE FREAKIEST ADS OF 2008, GROUP #3Two of the Final Four slots are set in our Freakiest Ad of 2008 contest: the Evil Head headless dude and the Doritos spicy tongue. The competition continues now with this third group of ads. Vote for the freakiest of the eight ads at the bottom of the post. The top vote-getter gets a Final Four place. See all 32 finalists here, in alphabetical order. Donate Life California | "Maggot" When you die, this non-profit suggested, donate your organs to your fellow humans, not to insect larvae. [Read more] ALS Society of Canada | "Head & Shoulders" This gut-wrenching PSA used a children's song to depict the ravages of ALS. [Read more] Extended Stay Motels | "Lick" A woman figured that licking everything in sight was the best way to check a room's cleanliness in this spot for the motel chain. [Read more] Kincho | "Android" The Japanese company turned to a creepy, fake-smiling fembot to promote its sunscreen. [Read more] Converse | KissingWithRoss.com Ross taught many a lonely Web surfer how to kiss, with gusto, on his very own Converse-branded Web site. [Read more] Amnesty International | "The Stuff of Life" Another disturbing PSA: this one from Amnesty, depicting the waterboarding torture technique. [Read more] Colombian Association of Arterial Hypertension | "Home" The rotting undead, doomed by high cholesterol, livened up this Colombian health campaign. [Read more] X-travel | "Boeing 737" This unnerving viral for a Dutch travel agency showed an airplane crash-landing into the Mediterranean. [Read more] |
|
Published on December 18, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (3)
|
Olson staff freeze ass off for self-promotion
The e-mail from Jennifer Weismann, the new communications director at Olson, began thusly: "With wind chills dipping to -25 and -30 this week in Minneapolis, exposed skin can become frostbitten in 5 minutes or less. So why did our Olson leadership team take this picture? Mostly because I thought it was funny to make everyone go outside and pose." See a larger photo here. The point, I guess, is to present Olson as the "hot" agency from cold climes ("stone cold hot," as the e-mail's subject line put it). Jen is probably a bad hire, but she'll get this agency on the cover of Fast Company someday—if the employees don't freeze to death first. Actually, this stunt will make any upcoming layoffs (let's pray they don't happen) a lot more palatable. Some staffers may even volunteer. Of course, the folks at Crispin would've gone topless, just to prove they could. |
|
Published on December 18, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (9)
|
Napalm ... it's not just for breakfast anymore
This campaign by DDB Germany nicely employs simple and entertaining copy lines to explain, with greater clarity than one might expect, the advantages of time-shifting one's TV watching. (In this case, the client is Premiere, a pay-TV channel with DVR-like capabilities.) See all three ads here. The permutations of famous film quotes illustrate the point that viewers can watch their favorite scenes as often as they want. This approach has got legs, with the client no doubt planning to fill viewers' days—and afternoons and evenings and late-nights—with "timely" offers they can't refuse. Via Ads of the World. |
|
Published on December 18, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
Philly putting its downtown area up in lights
Philadelphia is now the "Electri-City," having achieved this dubious distinction by turning on permanent, multicolored architectural lights on 12 historic downtown buildings in the streets around City Hall. It's part of a push by the Center City District to "build downtown night-time street traffic, civic pride and add to city's cultural attractions," and includes an ad campaign by LevLane. The juice will flow all year round, from dusk until midnight. Hey, I like lights as much as the next guy, but electricity alone is unlikely to attract many visitors, who can already witness that marvel of science in Topeka, Oxnard, Walla-Walla and most other cities across this great nation. (OK, maybe not in Oxnard.) Hopefully Philadelphia consulted with an electrician, too, because if those extra watts black out the local hospitals or half of the Jersey Shore, there's going to be PR hell to pay. —Posted by David Gianatasio |
|
Published on December 18, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (2)
|
BBDO, VW give birth to beach-bum dogfish
The auto industry is so bad these days that Volkswagen has apparently gotten into the side business of animal cross-breeding. This odd Brazilian commercial from Almap BBDO for the VW SpaceFox stars that most unlikely of spokescreatures: the dogfish. As in, half dog, half fish. He's a playful, energetic fellow who probably tastes like chicken. The connection to the car is a bit confusing, though. It's not a hybrid; I guess it's a crossover. According to the tagline, it can be "anything you imagine." Here in the U.S., the ad could be tailored to sell a certain brand of great Delaware beer. UPDATE: Almap BBDO e-mails us with an explanation: "SpaceFox is a spacious car. You can fit in whatever you fancy. All you can imagine. Including a dogfish." |
|
Published on December 17, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (7)
|
THE FREAKIEST ADS OF 2008, GROUP #2Our Freakiest Ad of 2008 contest continues with this second group of ads. Vote for the freakiest of these eight masterpieces at the bottom of this post. The top vote-getter goes to the Final Four. Treximet | "Heads Off" Women with migraines literally lost their heads in this OTC pharmaceutical spot. [Read more] McDonald's | "Nose" This nightmarish Swedish commercial for McDonald's coffee might keep you up at night. [Read more] Steimatzky Bookstore | "Shrunken Head" This ad for an Israeli bookstore ridiculed non-readers for their shrunken, intellectually impoverished heads. [Read more] Lotus | "Faceless People" The automaker Lotus decried the loss of individuality with ads (and street marketing) starring faceless people. [Read more] Skittles | "Piñata" A human piñata recovered from a beating at the hands of a Skittles-seeking colleague in this off-kilter spot. [Read more] Mebucaïne | "Throats" Misplaced mouths cried for help in this campaign for a Novartis throat lozenge. [Read more] Doritos | "Tongue" A wayward spicy tongue ruined a young couple's date in this Doritos commercial. [Read more] Land Transport NZ | "Bed" New Zealand tackled the issue of drivers falling asleep at the wheel with all the subtlety of a splattered skull. [Read more] |
|
Published on December 17, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
Apple back with more animated holiday ads
Nothing gets my holiday spirit going like watching the children's animated holiday specials: Rudolph, Frosty, the Grinch and the Peanuts gang (to name just a few of my DVR'd favorites). So, of course I appreciate it when an advertiser like Apple so skillfully pays homage to the holiday stop-motion classics. Two new spots broke Monday night during ABC's broadcast of I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown (remember Snoopy's brother Spike?), and whether you're a Macbook-toting Apple aficionado or not, they have to make you smile. PC, dressed in a cheery red holiday sweater, and Mac, in his spindly jeans, attempt to put aside their differences in the name of merrymaking, decorating a Christmas tree together in one ad and celebrating the freedom of an animated world in another. But of course PC can't help adding a little latent aggression to the proceedings. This is the second year in a row that Apple has produced holiday-themed animated "Get a Mac" ads. And just like the shows they honor, they feel like special holiday gifts that just keep giving. |
|
Published on December 17, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
Muppets sort out whether Santa has e-mail
Macy's might have staked its entire Christmas ad campaign around ''Yes, Virginia," the 19th-century newspaper editorial, now a holiday classic, that answered a young girl's question about the existence of Santa Claus. But it took the latest Muppets movie—A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa, airing Wednesday at 8 p.m. on NBC—to address the 21st-century corollary: Does the Clausman accept e-mail? The question comes up in the story line when we see Kermit, Fozzie Bear, etc., scrambling to deliver three letters from kids in time for Christmas. According to no less an authority than muppet Dr. Bunsen Honeydew (he's a bald, faceless guy in a white coat), Santa can't read e-mail because of interference in his neighborhood caused by the Aurora Borealis. Thus, the Muppets have no choice but to figure out how to set foot on the North Pole in person. All around, the movie is a great new addition to the Muppet genre, an updated vision for both grownups and kids—especially the part with Nathan Lane as ''Frank Meany," airport security agent. It's sweet without being cheesy or sentimental. So, keep those cards and letters coming, kids. —Posted by Barbara Lippert |
|
Published on December 17, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
Google's TV-ad system: everyone's a player
Valleywag has the story of Ariel Schneller, a 24-year-old Internet poker player who placed the homemade commercial above, which advertises his FoxwoodsFiend.com blog, in front of 330,000 Dish subscribers for just $500, thanks to Google's nascent TV-ad-buying program. Schneller explains that his roommate works for Google in its ads division and tipped him off to how easy the whole process could be. "It's half egomania and half dedication to comedy," he says of the commercial, which ran on Oxygen, ESPN2, and WPT. Maybe slightly more of the former than the latter. |
|
Published on December 17, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
Levi's now unbuttoning itself on NYC taxis
Fresh off its "Unbutton your beast" viral triumph (of questionable taste but unquestionable buzz), Levi's returns with a taxicab campaign for its 501 jeans via Show Media that has even the usually thoughtful and measured Brandweek riffing about the "in-your-face" effort that will be "whizzing through the streets of the Big Apple." The taxi-tops are actually pretty restrained, showing unbuttoned flys (what else?) but leaving the rest to onlookers' imaginations. I immediately think of stuffing those jeans with sweat socks. The trick is to find the thickest pair and roll it up really tight. I must've seen it in a movie once. |
|
Published on December 17, 2008 | Permalink
| Comments (1)
|
